Garage sale questions - pricing

[mousefanmichelle]

Hi there! This board has been so helpful to me recently that I thought I would come back to solicite advice on my upcoming garage sale. I am clueless on how to price things. Can you guys help me out?

I have lots of stuff to sell but no idea how to get the most money for it.
I have a double bike trailer and an air hockey table and a kitchen table with chairs and entertainment center - cookware oh my!!!! The list is long of things I can declutter my life with and cash in on but how do I price this stuff.

For instance if I didn't ask for advice I would put a price tag of $75 on the air hockey table and not take less than $60 for it - for the table and chairs I would put $100 on it and not take less than $75. Does this seem average or am I way off????

Please give me your wisdom, your guidance, your expertise, I beg of you!!!

TIA!
Michelle

 

[DisneyNutMic]

You might get better prices with Craigslist. You could also check prices of those items for your area to put on at yardsale. Good luck.

 

[everylastbreath]

One piece of advice: don't over price your items, because any $ is better than none, so keep that in mind and be flexible with your prices, otherwise you will be throwing it out at the end of the day and the people will be picking it out of your garbage for NOTHING... remember your stuff might be worth $$ to you, but someone else doesn't think so.

I can always tell when items are overpriced at a garage, if you drive past a sale in the afternoon & there is still lots of stuff, bingo- overpriced...

 

[TxRabbit]

Like the PP said, the price of items will be determined by what people are willing to pay for it in your area. Why would you not take less than $60 for the air hockey table? Do you use it? Is it taking up space and gathering dust? Are you attached to what you spent on it? How much would you pay to get the space back that the table is consuming in your house? Wouldn't it be nice to get that space back?

Is the table electric? Is it big? Is it heavy? Will it be pain to move? Is the deal you are offering so much better that someone just wouldn't go get a brand new one?

No matter what, name brands for many things become worthless at a garage sale. A table is table. A sofa is a sofa. Price it to move. And if you really want more money for something, post it on craigslist and see what kind of offers you get.

 

[mousefanmichelle]

Ok thanks guys!

I am not attached to the table and I guess I am hung up on how much I paid for it - I paid $300 for the hockey table - it is ackward to move and no one plays it and it has become a table for junk in the basement so I guess I can take less. I have to let go of how much I paid for it originally I guess is what your saying!

 

[disneychrista]

I agree for big ticket items you might want to list them on Craigs lists first.

I am in the same boat we have lots of clothes and toys and have no clue what to price them at. Like new jeans - $5? $3? 2/$8?

Just found this article that might be usefull

 

[TxRabbit]

Ok thanks guys!

I am not attached to the table and I guess I am hung up on how much I paid for it - I paid $300 for the hockey table - it is ackward to move and no one plays it and it has become a table for junk in the basement so I guess I can take less. I have to let go of how much I paid for it originally I guess is what your saying!

Pretty much. Just let go. You can't get the money spent back. The best you can do is get the clutter gone and get some money in the process.

I've had one garage sale in my life. It was a lot of work to get it ready. I had this bathroom cabinet, and I remembered how much I paid for it, and the person made me an offer and I was offended really. But I said, "Let me ask my husband," and DH was like, take the offer. You want to sell it right? I said, But I paid $XX for it. He says, Who cares?

It was just the thing I needed to hear. No matter what someone offered me for anything, I took it. I never turned down an offer and at the end of the day, I had almost everything gone and I had made close to $700. And the best part was that all the stuff was gone and I didn't have to deal with it anymore.

Get that mindset and you'll do just fine.

 

[fakereadhed]

I was going to suggest craigslist too. I love it because you find people that are actually looking for the items rather than impulse buying at a sale and not willing to pay much. I'd do craigslist a couple days before the sale and if they are interested they can come to your sale and pick it up then. Cuts down on the creepiness factor.

 

[Mary•Poppins]

I had a yard sale about 2 weeks ago and asked the same question here on the DIS board ...

I priced the bigger items ... bikes, scooters, child's table (nothing over 15.00) ... then put all my other items on tables that said $2.00, $1.00 or .50.

I go rid of a lot of stuff!!! I didn't rake in the money (I sold roughly $150.00) but it felt so good to be rid of this stuff. A lady at the end came to my house and said that one of the local churches was going to have a flea market next month and anything we could donate would be gladly accepted. So at the end, I packed up what was left ... which wasn't much ... and took it to the church which was a minute away ....

I made some money and my house is much more organized!!! Yahoo!!!

 

[phred52]

Here's how I look at it....

I'm wanting to make a good bit of money whenever I put out the effort to have a garage sale. I price things at what I consider to be a fair price. General rule would be about 10% of retail. Except for clothes. That is priced @ $1 per hanger or 50 cents a piece if not on a hanger.

I always have a two day sale. On the first day I do not come down in price. By far the majority of things sell, anyways. On the second day, I will drop prices.

At the end of the sale I box up anything that is left and go directly to Goodwill to donate the stuff. Nothing goes back into the house. Nothing!

Last month we cleared just over $800.

I do use Craigs list once in a while when we have larger items to clear out....

 

[trip]

It really doesn't matter what price your put on your items - you only will be offered half!